Carthage school board may take another look at building security

WEST CARTHAGE  Members of the Carthage Central School Board of Education agreed the district might need to revisit building security upgrades.

At a meeting Monday night, board member Lyndsey M. Hodkinson suggested the board reinstate a facilities committee focused primarily on building security.

The facilities committee had gathered estimates for the schools proposed $13.2 million capital project, which would have addressed both security and building maintenance issues. The proposal was rejected, 431-311, in a referendum in March.

Ms. Hodkinson said the matter had been brought up again in a recent safety committee meeting. In the proposed capital project, estimates from Turner Construction Co., Syracuse, placed security upgrades to all buildings at just under $1 million.

As a board, do we want to make this a priority? Do we want to set up the facilities committee again? Ms. Hodkinson said. We could just do security, set up a reserve account and pay for it that way.

Theres one building in the district with no security, board member Kent D. Burto said. We need something short term. We do have the money. In the case that we do another capital project, were still looking at a year and a half to approve it.

Mr. Burto did not specify which building was lacking security measures.

Ms. Hodkinson also brought up an intruder security system used at North Syracuse Central School District secondary schools.

Its a Raptor system that does a quick check of someones drivers license and flags if the person is a predator, she said.